Common Powiat

Common Powiat (Polish: Wspólny Powiat, WP) is a local Polish party from the Świdnica County. Common Powiat was founded in January 2014 by the incumbent starosta of Świdnica, Zygmunt Worsa.[7] The activities of the party are limited to the Świdnica County in Lower Silesia, and the party focuses on local matters regarding Świdnica and Silesia. The party consists of local politicians of the county, including former members of the Civic Platform, Law and Justice and Together.[2] The party cooperates with the Civic Platform and the Democratic Left Alliance and formed a local coalition with these parties, and Common Powiat also expressed its national support for these parties.[1][5]

Common Powiat
Wspólny Powiat
AbbreviationWP
LeaderZygmunt Worsa[1]
ChairpersonBogusław Wojskowicz[2]
Founded29 January 2014[1]
HeadquartersKalno 46/2
58-130 Żarów[3]
Membership (2014)54[4]
IdeologySilesian localism
Silesian regionalism
Pro-Europeanism[5]
Economic interventionism[4]
Political positionCentre-left[5]
National affiliationCivic Platform[1]
Democratic Left Alliance[5]
Colours  Red
Sejm
0 / 460
Senate
0 / 100
European Parliament
0 / 51
Regional assemblies
0 / 552
City presidents
0 / 117
Mistakenly referred to as Active Local Politicians (Polish: Aktywni Samorządowcy) in 2019.[6]

In the 2014 Polish local elections to the county council of Świdnica, Common Powiat emerged as the second largest party ex aequo with the Civic Platform (both parties won 4 seats), while the Polish People's Party became the largest party with 5 seats.[8] This outcome led to a compromise government, where Zygmunt Worsa lost his position as Starosta of Świdnica and became the Vice-Starosta instead.[2] Piotr Fedorowicz of the Civic Platform took his place as the Starosta of the Świdnica County.[9] However, in the 2018 Polish local elections, Common Powiat won 6 seats, this time emerging as the largest party in the Świdnica County.[3] Worsa remains the Vice-Starosta of Świdnica.[9]

History

The party was registered on 29 January 2014 by Zygmunt Worsa, the incumbent Starosta of the Świdnica County.[7] Worsa is known for ambitious and expansive development and investment programs in Świdnica, and was accused by conservative politicians of bringing the county to the brink of bankruptcy. The politician denied these accusations and jokingly proposed cutting the councillors' salaries to further fund his projects.[4]

The members of Common Powiat include politiians already known for their activities within the local governments of Świdnica. Among the members of the new party is Alicja Synowska who has been an active member of the Civic Platform and ran for parliament on behalft of the party, as well as Bolesław Marciniszyn who served as the Mayor of Świdnica and entered the district council as a Civic Platform candidate. The party also included former Law and Justice councillors such as Elżbieta Gaszyńska, and many local politicians from the Left Together party.[2]

The committee of Common Powiat announced that while it was ready to form a local coalition with "almost anyone", it specifically preferred to enter a coalition with the Civic Platform and Democratic Left Alliance, signalling a left-leaning alignment of the new party. The local politicians of left-wing Democratic Left Alliance extensively cooperated with Worsa during his term as Starosta.[5]

The party fielded candidates for local councils of the Świdnica County in the 2014 Polish local elections, and won 4 seats in total. This made the party the second largest one in Świdnica together with the Civic Platform, while the Polish People's Party emerged as the largest party in the county with 5 seats.[8]

Common Powiat formed a local coalition with the Civic Platform and the Democratic Left Alliance, which resulted in a reshuffling of the local cabinet. Zygmunt Worsa lost his position as Starosta and became Vice-Starosta instead, while Piotr Fedorowicz of Civic Platform became the next Starosta of Świdnica.[9]

The party fielded 54 candidates for the 2018 Polish local elections.[4] Zygmunt Worsa declared that he aspires to acquire 7 seats in the Świdnica councils, and to maintain his position as Vice-Starosta of Świdnica. He also expressed his intention to continue his coalition with the Civic Platform and Democratic Left Alliance.[5]

Ultimately, the party won 6 seats in the 2018 election, and became the largest party in the Świdnica County, despite falling 1 seat short of its desired goal.[3] Worsa remained the Vice-Starosta of Świdnica.[9]

In April 2019, the party was mistakenly called Active Local Politicians (Polish: Aktywni Samorządowcy) by a Polish political blog called "Karuzela Polityczna".[6]

Ideology

Common Powiat is a localist and regionalist party that focuses exclusively on the issues of Świdnica and Lower Silesia. Nationally, the party is critical of the United Right government and cooperates with the Civic Platform and the left-wing Democratic Left Alliance.[1][5]

The party's program is mainly based on the plans of its founder Zygmunt Worsa, former Starosta and incumbent Vice-Starosta of the Świdnica County. The plan of the party for the 2018 election included implementing numerous new investments, including the retrofitting of the hospital, the modernisation of secondary schools and the expansion of the sports base, as well as the completion of road repairs.[4]

The party is critical of the current way of calculating the budget of local governments, arguing that the current system leaves local councils underfunded and unable to carry out necessary investments that could help bring about further profit. To counteract this, Common Powiat proposed a "repair program" that would result in salary cuts for employees at the starost's office and councillors' allowances.[4]

Common Powiat supports the European Union and believes that funds Poland receives from the union are necessary for local investments and repairs. The party also expressed its support for the so-called "schetynówki", otherwise known as the National Programme for the Reconstruction of Local Roads (Polish: Narodowy Program Przebudowy Dróg Lokalnych), which are multi-year programmes aimed at providing local government units with targeted subsidies from the state budget for the co-financing of their own tasks with regard to the reconstruction, construction or renovation projects.[5]

One of the landmark proposals of the Common Powiat for the 2018 elections is the construction of a district sports hall, which is to be placed next to the secondary school in Świdnica.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Zygmunt Worsa tworzy Wspólny Powiat". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). 29 January 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  2. "Worsa, Marciniszyn, Synowska w KW Wspólny Powiat". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). 17 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  3. "Wybory do Rady Powiatu Świdnickiego". pkw.gov.pl (in Polish). 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  4. Agnieszka Szymkiewicz (23 September 2014). "Drużyna Worsy nie boi się długów". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  5. Agnieszka Szymkiewicz (17 September 2018). "Wspólny Powiat. Stara nazwa, (prawie) nowa ekipa [FOTO]". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  6. "Karuzela polityczna – archiwum". karuzelapolityczna.wordpress.com (in Polish). 30 April 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  7. "Radni powiedzieli „nie" staroście". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). 22 March 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. "Worsa nie będzie starostą?". swidnica24.pl (in Polish). 19 November 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  9. "Zarząd Powiatu Świdnickiego". powiat.swidnica.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 21 August 2023.
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